The Silver Bracelet
by Gwendolyn Felton
Summary: When Hermione finds out something that could change her life, will she be able to confide in her friends? Or will she be completely alone? Rated for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**As much as it pains me to admit it, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, so anything you recognise is not mine. They were created by the fabulous J.K. Rowling. I'm sitting on my bed wondering if my cat could possibly be an Animagus in disguise. I would wonder about my dog too, but my dog doesn't stare at me quite as expressively as my cat.

**Author's Note:**Comments/Suggestions and critiques are greatly appreciated! Enjoy

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"Mum?" Hermione called as she walked around the corner and into the kitchen. The smell of fresh flowers filled the room as her mother put the finishing touches on the display of colourful flowers she didn't recognise. It reminded her of a wedding bouquet she had seen in a photo at her parent's office.

"What do you think, darling?" her mum asked, smiling at her brightly.

Returning the smile, she replied, "It's beautiful." Pausing for a few moments, she took a deep breath and stared at the arrangement before continuing. "Do you need anything from the chemist? I was thinking of going for a walk," she lied. She hated lying to her parents and it was hard not to appear nervous but right now they just wouldn't understand.

"I don't think so, thanks," her mother replied before picking up the vase and setting it in the middle of the table. "Be careful and don't be too long. Dinner will be up soon."

"Of course, mum," she replied quickly as she walked out of the kitchen. Pulling on her beige coat, she made sure the money was still in her jean pocket before walking out the front door. The cold air hit her face and she pulled her scarf up around her mouth. There were only two days until she was due back at Hogwarts after Christmas holiday and she had no other chance to get this done. Her parents had insisted on spending the entire holiday in Paris. Not that she was complaining, mind you, but her mind was occupied with something else. Someone else.

Her shoes crunched the snow flat onto the pavement as she walked along. Shoving gloved hands into her coat pocket she glanced around, admiring the beauty of the setting. Snow covered gardens and shrubbery. There were even a small number of snowmen standing, somewhat lopsided, in the yard to her left. A smile graced her features as she imagined the children playing in the snow.

Speeding up her pace she began thinking about seeing her friends again. Anything to get her mind off what she was about to do. She had sent both Harry and Ron books on Quidditch and a few sugar-free treats. Ron had sent her a framed photograph of the three of them as well as a scarf Mrs Weasley knit for her. Harry had given her a very nice quill set which she couldn't wait to use.

When she finally reached the crosswalk she waited for the signal to cross. When it appeared she looked right, then left, before crossing. Once she got across, she stepped under the censor making the doors slide open for her. She didn't come here often and it took her a moment to find the aisle that she needed. Pulling her hands out of her pockets, she slipped the gloves off and placed them in her right pocket. Finally locating where she needed to be, she walked quickly over and glanced around. She was sure no one would recognise her but her nerves were wearing thin.

Quickly scanning all the different types she could get, she chose what she felt would be the most effective one and walked to the pay counter. Placing her item on the counter and pulling the money out of her pocket, she tried not to make eye contact with the boy behind the counter.

She was trying so hard not to make eye contact that she almost didn't hear him say, "Seven pounds thirty."

Handing him a ten pound note, he gave her the change and the item she paid for. As Hermione walked towards the door, she pulled the box out of the bag, opened up the box, and pulled the item out. Tossing the bag and box in a bin near the door, she slipped the item and its instructions into her inside coat pocket and walked out of the door.

The walk home seemed to take longer than the walk to the chemist and it seemed a bit colder. Tightening her scarf even more around her mouth, she sped up her pace. Her house finally came into view and she walked through the gate and up to the front door. Hesitating for a moment, she twisted the knob and stomped her feet on the mat outside before stepping in.

"I'm home!" she called, wincing as the smell of courgette drifted through the hallway.

"Dinner will be up in five minutes," her mother responded from the kitchen.

Pulling off her coat, she walked to her room and laid it on her bed softly, not forgetting the item that was hidden away in its pocket.

Dinner passed slowly, to the brunette's relief, although it just delayed what she had to do even further. When her mother stood to place her plate in the sink, Hermione offered to do the dishes.

"Don't be silly, love," her mother responded. "Enjoy the last of your holiday."

"Alright," she said with a half-smile on her face. "I'll probably just revise, though. Maybe write Ron and Harry." Her mother nodded and smiled at her as she left the room.

When she got to her room, she entered and locked the door, thankful her parents couldn't do magic. Pulling the item out of her coat pocket, she walked nervously to the toilet connected to her room and closed the door behind her. As she sat down, she opened the package and stared at it for a moment before working up the nerve to use it.

When she was finished, she placed the item down on the sink, washed her hands, and paced. Glancing at her wrist watch she noticed it had only been 40 seconds. She needed to wait three minutes before looking at it to make sure no mistakes were made. Her hands were visibly shaking and she had never been this nervous before, even when taking a written test.

This was no written test. She couldn't study for it but she had an idea of what the outcome would be. She hadn't allowed her mind to wander to what would happen should the test come up one way or another. That made her too nervous. Plus, everything could be fine and perhaps she's worrying over nothing. Glancing once more at her watch, she saw it had now been three minutes and sixteen seconds. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down. Opening her eyes, she looked down at the slender stick sitting on the counter and saw two pink lines.

She was pregnant.

Gasping, she backed up against the wall and slid down as the tears rolled down her face.

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Author's Note: I started this story several years ago, but it never really developed in the way I wanted it to. I had three chapters, but had severe writers block. I've now figured out exactly where I want it to go (only needing to work out certain small details) so I've decided to re-submit this as a new story. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**As much as it pains me to admit it, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, so anything you recognise is not mine. They were created by the fabulous J.K. Rowling. I'm sitting on my bed wondering if my cat could possibly be an Animagus in disguise. I would wonder about my dog too, but my dog doesn't stare at me quite as expressively as my cat.

**Author's Note: **I re-wrote chapter 2 since I was having a really hard time continuing with what I had written…which I thought was bad considering it was only chapter 2! I hope this hasn't inconvenienced anyone. Let me know what you think! Comments/Suggestions and critiques are greatly appreciated! Enjoy

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Lifting herself off the floor, she wiped her eyes and stared at herself in the mirror. Her face was swollen from sobbing for so long and her mascara was quite smeared all over her face. _What have I done? _ she thought as she stared at her reflection. The first day she'd been sick had been the last day of term. Professor Snape was giving them the Antidotes test that day so her stomach had been in knots. She had run to the toilet twice that morning before breakfast with what she thought was worry over the test. The nausea had remained after the test, though, so Hermione had gone to see Madam Pomfrey. The matron had given her an anti-nausea potion with instructions to try and relax now that term was over.

Awaking the next morning, she had returned to normal. The day was spent prancing in the snow with fellow Gryffindors, not having to worry about end of term exams or papers. Over the next week, the nausea had come and gone. The brunette had begun walking towards the hospital wing numerous times, but by the time she was halfway the nausea had disappeared. Much of her thoughts on why she was feeling ill was her date to the Yule Ball. She hadn't told anyone that Viktor Krum had asked her, knowing there would be too many questions. But she was quite nervous. Viktor had spoken to her for the first time in the library one day. He'd sat in the chair opposite her and began to chat. His accent was a bit hard to understand, but she'd found he was quite pleasant and not as surly as he always appeared to be.

The day after the Yule Ball, she returned home and almost immediately left for Paris. Paris had always taken her thoughts away, but this trip she'd had a hard time concentration for numerous different reasons. The thought in the forefront of her mind was that she was pregnant. She hadn't even considered that possibility until she spoke with her Aunt, who was a nurse. After giving her symptoms, her Aunt had laughed and asked "Are you pregnant?" Apparently, Hermione had looked shocked because her Aunt had immediately clapped her hand over her mouth and said, "Of course not, you're too young for that. I'm sorry Hermione, sometimes I forget how young you are – you act so grown up." After their conversation, Hermione had her Aunt convinced she was feeling ill because of anxiety. Thankfully she hadn't tried prying specific reasons out of her so she hadn't had to avoid questions or lie.

It would've been very easy to get a test in Paris but she kept making excuses. Now here she was. Pregnancy was something she knew very little about. Muggle school hadn't quite made it to that subject and it wasn't covered until fifth year at Hogwarts. Now she was thankful she was at home to find out; she had the entire internet at her disposal. Cleaning up her face and taking extra care to dispose of her mess she walked into her room and switched her computer on. While she was waiting, her mind wandered towards Hogwarts. There was still six months left in the school year and she couldn't possibly continue going. But with everything Harry was going through how could she not go? Ron and Harry had made up after the first task, but support for the Gryffindor champion was minimal and Hermione figured he needed her there. The computer had finished powering up and her thoughts were put on hold for the moment. After an hour she began coming across the same information again and again. Everything she had read was great, but there was a nagging feeling that she needed to get information from the wizarding world. Pulling out a quill set and parchment, she began writing a letter to the only person she felt she could trust with this information: Professor McGonagall. She had briefly considered writing to Mrs Weasley but her questions needed to go to someone who wouldn't probe for information about the father. She couldn't tell anyone. Not yet.

_Professor McGonagall – Can I speak with you after dinner on Monday? It's regarding something important to my future. Sincerely, Hermione_

After sending the letter, she sat back and realised how tired she was. Whilst getting into her pyjamas, she yelled a quick goodnight to her parents and then climbed into bed. Laying her head on the pillow she tried not to think about what the next nine months would bring.

The next two days flew by to Hermione's dismay. Speaking with Professor McGonagall was not something she was looking forward to, but it was something she had to do. The house was extremely clean due to Hermione's attempt at getting her mind off certain things. When it came time to leave for the train, she was so exhausted that she was almost grateful.

Climbing into the Hogwarts Express she quickly searched for an empty compartment, trying to stay as close to the back as she could. All she wanted to do was sleep, and hopefully no one would interrupt her. The train going back after Christmas holidays wasn't nearly as full as it was at the beginning of term. Placing her back on the rack above the seat, she closed the window shade and lay across the section of seats.

Waking a little while later, she sat up and groaned. That had been an uncomfortable way to sleep, but she felt rested. Looking out the window, she reckoned they had to be close to Hogwarts. The trees had spread out a bit and she could see smoke billowing from floos not too far off in the distance. Her mind wandered to Harry and she hoped he'd made some progress with the golden egg. It wasn't likely, however. Harry hadn't mentioned anything in the letter he'd sent her over break, and she knew that would be something he'd include in a letter.

The rest of the journey to the castle went quite quickly, and Hermione found herself in the Great Hall awaiting Ron and Harry's arrival at dinner. Her stomach was growling, and she really wanted a pumpkin pasty. The food finally appeared, and as she was reaching towards it a hand clasped her shoulder. Jerking around, almost knocking her goblet over, she saw that it was Ron. Standing up to hug him she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that Harry wasn't with him. "Where's Harry?"

The red-head grimaced and sat down next to Hermione. "He's still trying to figure out what to do with the egg," he replied as he grabbed a piece of chicken from a bowl in front of him. "He really has been trying Hermione, but I just don't see what else he can do." Taking a big bite of chicken, he continued, "He's driving himself mad trying to figure it out."

Rolling her eyes at Ron's manners, she put a bite of roast beef in her mouth. So Harry hadn't made any progress with his egg. The second task was still several weeks away, but the sooner he figured out the clue in the egg, the sooner he could start working out what the clue meant. Hopefully whatever he was doing tonight worked.

Hermione was suddenly overwhelmed with the want to tell Ron that she was pregnant. He was one of her best friends, so why shouldn't she? But she knew why. Perhaps she would feel better once she told Professor McGonagall. At that thought, she turned to the head table and saw that her head of house was no longer sitting there. Suddenly her stomach was filled with butterflies at the prospect of saying anything at all, but she had to tell her.

"Ron, I've got an appointment with Professor McGonagall, so I'll see you in the Common Room later," she said as she stood up and made to leave the Great Hall. Hermione thought he may have say okay, but his mouth was so full of food it was hard to tell.

Her hand was shaking as she opened the door. Her head of house was leaning over her desk, scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment. Her eyes flicked upward and she spoke, "I'll be with you in just a moment, Miss Granger."

Nodding, she walked toward the chair opposite the Professors and sat on the very edge. Hands clasped and in her lap, she waited semi-patiently for the other to finish. After a few minutes, her Professor folded the letter, addressed it, and allowed a school owl to take it. Turning her attention towards the brunette she spoke, "What did you want to speak with me about, Miss Granger?"

Hermione's tongue was suddenly much heavier and her mouth was dry. Shifting in her seat, she wiped her sweaty palms on her trousers and took a deep breath. "Well," she started, "it's about my future."

"Yes, you said in your letter," her Professor said, her voice probing her to continue.

Oh Merlin. She just needed to tell her. Her breath came quicker and what she really wanted to do was get up and run back to the Common Room to lock herself in her room. Instead, she took a breath and spoke. "Professor, I'm pregnant." Her eyes focused on her hands in her lap so she wouldn't have to see the Professor's loathing look. After a few moments of silence, however, she looked up into eyes that were emitting pity instead of loathing. A tear rolled down the brunette's cheek as she heard a chair scraping across the floor. Arms wrapped around her shoulders tightly for a moment before loosening. Her Professor sat in the chair next to hers and held her hand.

"Hermione, when you said you had to speak with me regarding your future, I thought it was about a Ministry internship. I never imagined this is what you would have to tell me." Professor McGonagall paused for a moment, as if to collect her thoughts and then continued. "I hate this for you, Hermione, and what it means for your future. But I will help you get through this." Hermione's hands were shaking and tears were now rolling freely down her cheeks, but it meant the world to her to the Professor would be there to support her. They sat for a few moments in silence, holding hands whilst Hermione shed tears. After several minutes, her Professor broke the silence. "You'll need to see a medi-wizard. Would it be okay if I told Madam Pomfrey?"

The brunette could only nod. If she spoke her voice would come out hoarse and cracked.

Squeezing her hand once more, she let go and continued. "I'll speak with her tomorrow. Meet me in the hospital wing after your last lesson tomorrow. We'll go over your options and Poppy will do the initial exam."

Hermione nodded once more. Standing up, she wiped her eyes and looked at the older woman. Reaching forward, she hugged her Professor tightly. "Thank you."

Wiping her tears away, she turned and walked out of the office and headed towards the Gryffindor Common room.


End file.
